Two campuses within the University of Wisconsin System announced Tuesday they are offering employees a voluntary retirement buyout with a one-time payout equal to 50% of an employee's annual base salary.

The buyouts at UW-Oshkosh and UW-Green Bay offer the same payout, but the eligibility requirements are different. At UW-Green Bay, the offer is being extended to all employees 55 and older who have at least five years of service. At UW-Oshkosh, employees must be at least 60 and have 25 years of service to the state to be eligible.

Tuesday's announcements bring to four the total number of campuses seeking to reduce their workforce through voluntary buyouts in the face of state budget cuts. UW-Eau Claire was the first campus to make the offer, followed last week by UW-Superior.(334)

Sports Blogs

News conference highlights

Here is some of what was said at Wednesday afternoon's news conference at the Al McGuire Center, courtesy of MU's sports information department. AD Steve Cottingham made a statement and then took questions. The session closed with Dominic James, Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal and Lazar Hayward sharing their thoughts on what's transpired over the last 24 hours.

"Marquette is a much stronger place today for the work nine years ago when they arrived on campus," said Cottingham in opening. "Now it's time to move forward. We will build on Marquette's strong foundation and tradition and continue competing at the highest level nationally. We have much to offer a new coach: an outstanding game environment at the Bradley Center, proud alumni, an excellent practice facility here at the Al [McGuire Center], Big East affiliation, and terrific staff and student-athletes.

"We've already begun our search for an outstanding men's basketball coach. We're prepared and we're moving forward. We will find a coach that not only embraces the tradition of Al McGuire and Tom Crean, but who will continue our focus on excellence and will take us to the next level, on and off the basketball court. Above all, I want to emphasize the university commitment to a continuing standard of excellence and competition at the highest national level. From our trustees, our president, Fr. Wild, the senior vice president, and throughout the university, we're committed to bringing our students, alumni, and fans the level of basketball competition they have come to expect from Marquette University."

On the search process...

We've already begun the search. We're out there aggressively. We have developed a short list of names. We are not going to have a search committee. I think that the level that we're at, it is a management decision within the University. We've built a great tradition, we've built a great foundation, and we're looking to hire the right person.

On the status of the staff...

Tom has a great staff here. Obviously, we don't know how that will work out. All of them are here performing their duties as assistant coaches at Marquette University at this point.

On the incoming recruits and contact with them...

All of the recruits have been contacted and we're reaching out to them. They understand that this is a great University and a great basketball program.

On the timetable for hiring...

The timetable is as long as it takes to get the right person. So we're not going to go by a particular clock. We're moving aggressively and we have already taken a number of steps to identify and search out and make contacts with the type of person we are looking for.

On a realistic expectation for success at Marquette University ...

I think what we expect in terms of the team's success is to look where we are and look beyond that. We have a great, young group of athletes...and we have a great program. It's still a great program today and we fully expect that we're going to catch our breath today, tomorrow, and for a few days, and then move forward. We're in the best conference in the country...and you look about how we've competed the last three years, and we have every expectation that we are going to get the person we are looking for.

On the expectations of the program ...

One of the great things about belonging to the BIG EAST and one of the reasons why it is a great fit for Marquette - it's the philosophy of the BIG EAST Conference, it's the conference season and conference championship, with the purpose of preparing your team to compete nationally. You can play with all those schools, you can play with anybody. So there's not an expectation, first, second, third, fourth, you expect to compete at a national level...which is on the way to compete for a national championship.

On a sense of urgency in the hiring process ...

We're moving aggressively. We want to do it quickly, aggressively. There is no ‘we have to have somebody hired by a certain date.' The absolute wrong thing to do would be to say ‘this is the best person we can hire in the next two days, seven days, 10 days, so that's who we're going to hire,' because that's not the best person to take us forward next season and the season after.

Wesley Matthews on former Marquette head coach Tom Crean's departure...There's a lot of emotions right now -- it's hard to put a stamp on one of them. You establish a relationship with somebody you've know since your sophomore year of high school, but I mean, I understand it. Indiana's a hard job to pass up. I know it's something he must have he really wanted to leave something like this, and good luck to him.

Wesley Matthews on hearing Monday's breaking news and subsequent team meeting...It was a sad moment. We found out through ESPN, through the news, and it didn't settle in right away, not until we got to the meeting. It was sad. It was an upsetting meeting, because of all the closeness of this team and the coaching staff and everything. I'm sure it's probably not how he intended on us finding out, but you just have to move on.

Lazar Hayward's reaction following Monday's team meeting...Our lives move on, you know what I mean. We just have to make sure we stay together. He basically told us why he made the decision. He made sure that he wanted us to know that he loved us and that he'll always have us in his heart -- and we will the same for him. I never would have thought it in a million years that I was going to get another coach, so it was tough for me, and I know it was tough for the rest of the guys, especially the guys that knew him for a long time.

Dominic James on hearing the news and the team's reaction...I got a call from my mother asking about it and that kind of surprised me. That was the worst thing about the situation, is how we found out about it. [Today] was great. Just getting back into rhythm with the team and just the camaraderie - you know, everybody just being together and being there for each other. That's the best thing about the situation, knowing that you still have people that care about you and knowing that there still are people here that will make us work and get better.

To be honest, we really didn't talk about it a lot. It was just the sense of being around each other and remembering the good times and things like that.

Dominic James on moving forward...I'm still a Marquette player. That's the way I feel. That's what I'm thinking about - I'm still thinking about next season and how good we can be. So obviously, I'm ready. My mind is still on Marquette.

Jerel McNeal's reaction and the team's attitude regarding the future of Marquette basketballWe found out about it the way the rest of the nation found out about it. It was hard, because definitely you feel like once you're in the program you feel you should be given a heads up or forewarned before something that drastic happens. The main thing is we were all just shocked. We hadn't talked to Coach [Crean] in a couple of days.

At the end of the day, players play and coaches coach. You still got the core of our team coming back next year still and a lot of experience coming back and a lot of great players coming back. As far as that goes, it's on us now, you know. I think we have the experience and maturity now to handle something like this and not let it set us back.

It's a lot harder for some of the younger guys coming into it, because you really get the first hand view of things how sports is also a business, too. They feel betrayed. It's a sick feeling that they'll eventually get over and understand. It's just part of the game, it's part of the business. I think it hurt a lot of guys' feelings.